CRAWFORDSVILLE, Ind. — The director of an animal shelter that cared for a badly burned cat said she supports legislation that increases the penalty in animal cruelty cases.

Misha Anderson, who heads the Animal Welfare League of Montgomery County, encouraged citizens to reach out to their legislators in support of the measure.

"That's something you can do. You can go in front of your legislators and try to get these terms increased," she said. "So maybe these kind of events will cause people to do that — be proactive for harsher punishments for these kinds of acts."

According to Indiana's criminal code, level 6 felonies such as animal cruelty carry a maximum sentence of 2½ years.

House Bill 1604, however, would increase animal cruelty to a level 5 felony, which carries a maximum sentence of 6 years.

"The law is insufficient to deal with these heinous crimes, and I have filed this bill in order to toughen those laws regarding animal cruelty crimes," Rep. Ryan Hatfield (D-Evansville), the author of the proposal, said. "I believe that Hoosiers expect prosecutors to give defendants more than a slap on the wrist when they commit these crimes."

As it stands, Indiana statute allows judges to order a person convicted of animal cruelty to receive psychological, behavioral or other counseling.

"I just have to have faith in the judicial system that they will do as much as they can with what they have," Anderson said.

While Phoenix's death has put Indiana's animal cruelty laws into focus, it also has brought in an outpouring of support from people across the state, nation and globe.

Since photos of the animal's burnt skin and singed fur began circulating on social media, the Montgomery County shelter has collected $20,000 in donations, Anderson said.

"A lot of other cats are going to benefit from Phoenix, even though she's not with us anymore," she said.

As the shelter moves forward, Anderson said she hopes a harsher penalty will deter people from committing more crimes against animals.

"From this point on, maybe we will get stricter laws, and in the future people will realize this is not going to be accepted here," she said.

Call J&C reporter Joseph Paul at 765-420-5339, email him at jpaul@jconline.com or follow him on Twitter: @JosephPaulJC.